About the Organization

The New York Academy of Medicine is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) institution dedicated to enhancing the health of the public. Its Office of School Health Programs has a solid history of providing health education and training in New York City public schools in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education and a network of voluntary agencies, foundations, corporations and individuals. The Office is recognized by the CDC as a “beacon of change” in the area of comprehensive school health education and disseminates information about its programs through professional conferences, publications, and awards.

Since 1979, the Office of School Health Programs has provided a wide range of comprehensive health education programs to New York City public school teachers, administrators, parents, and students. Through intensive staff development and workshops, state-of-the-art curriculum materials, consultation and technical assistance, the Office has worked with more than 12,000 elementary, middle and high school teachers in 1,100 New York City public schools, reaching over a million students. The goal of these programs is to help students develop the skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to lead and maintain healthy lives. All training workshops are creative, interactive, and tailored to the needs of the participants.

Languages We Can Train In: English

Organization Focus Descriptor: Health and Wellness

Boroughs We Can Work In: All

Districts We Can Work In: All

Our Cancellation Policy: The New York Academy of Medicine must be notified at least seven days in advance of any Workshop.

Programs

Creating a Healthy Climate in the After-School Program
This 3 hour interactive workshops focuses on communicating effectively, managing emotions and having a positive self-concept - three key life skills that children need to learn in order to ensure both academic and life success. Through the use of games, activities and discussion, after-school staff will learn how to enhance the climate of the after–school program in order to build self-concept, communicate more effectively with their students, and help students recognize and manage common emotions such as anger and frustration and express them productively.

Handling Sensitive Issues
After-school staff to whom students turn for education and guidance may be uncomfortable discussing a host of issues, such as grief, anxiety, risky behaviors, hygiene, sexuality, family concerns, and others that are sensitive in nature. Different cultural perspectives, languages, genders and ages may also affect the sensitivity of an issue. This 3 hour interactive workshop uses case studies, role playing and situation analyses to increase participants’ comfort level in dealing with sensitive issues in the after-school program.

Healthy Decision-Making for Young People
This 3 hour interactive workshop is designed to help after-school staff promote the skills that children and youth need to make healthy choices. Participants will have an opportunity examine core health skills and learn how to integrate them into after-school activities. These skills include making decisions, resistance/refusal, solving problems, thinking critically, negotiating, and setting goals.

Feeling Good, Keeping Fit
In light of the current epidemic of childhood obesity, this 3 hour interactive workshop is designed to help after-school program staff promote positive nutrition and fitness behaviors for themselves and their students. The workshop focuses on how to incorporate healthy nutrition into an after-school program and how to empower young people to exercise healthy choices around eating and physical activity. Participants are provided with strategies and activities that can be used to make healthy eating and exercise a part of their and every child’s life.

Managing Stress for After-School Staff and Students
This 3 hour interactive workshop is designed to help after-school program staff understand the impact of stress upon physical and mental health and learn how to better manage stress, both in their lives and the lives of their students. This interactive workshop will focus on psychological and physiological reactions to stress, short term effects of stress, ‘good’ versus ‘bad’ stress and healthy coping mechanisms for adults and children. The workshop will provide participants with strategies and activities they can use with students in their after-school programs to help students manage stress.

Contact

Nancy Ho-Cortes
212-822-7264
Fax: 212-348-2238
nhocortes@nyam.org